Thread carrier device



Jan. 11, 1938. E. F. RICHTER ET AL 2,104,315

- THREAD CARRIER DEVICE Filed July 11, 1936 Wm" w a Patented Jan. 11, 1938 UNITED STATES THREAD CARRIER. DEVICE Emil F. Richter and Joseph Earnest Garrett, Philadelphia, Pa.,' assignors to Artcraft Silk Hosiery Mills, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Application July 11, 1936, Serial No. 90,108

3 Claims.

- This invention relates generally to improvements in knitting machinery and more particularly to an improved construction of yarn guide or carrier for full fashioned knitting machines,

5 it being among the principal objects of the present invention to provide a yarn carrier of a nonrigid construction so that as it traverses the bank of needles and associated sinkers and dividers any accidental engagement of the thread carrier therewith such as may be occasioned by inaccurate or faulty setting or operation of these parts, will not result in permanent breakage or deformation thereof. I

It has been observed that a major cause of v needle breakage in full-fashioned machines is the engagement of one or more of the sinkers or dividers by the thread carrier with the result that the sinker or divider so engaged is deflected against an adjoining needle and so breaks or deforms the latter. In full-fashioned knitting machines, particularly of the type wherein a plurality of thread carrier bars are successively operated, it is essential that the guide extremity of the yarn carriers be disposed as closely as possible to the bank of needles which the yarn carrier traverses in the operation of laying the yarn across the needles. -'I'his clearance between the thread carrier extremity and the bank of needles which it traverses is usually so small that very 0 often a slight inaccuracy or misalignment in the setting of the several needles and their associated sinkers and dividers may result in the abovemcntioned objectionable engagement- .of the thread carrier with one or the other of these 5 elements.

chine and necessitate shutting down of the- 0 machine for the purpose of replacing any damaged parts and readjusting the machine as a whole. i

The present invention contemplates the provision of a yarn carrier which is of sectionalized 5 construction with the sections thereof so connected that while normally the yarn carrier operates in the usual manner of the conventionally rigid or inflexible carrier to lay the yarn across the bank of needles, in the event that its free 3 travel across the bank of needles is impeded or interfered with in any'manner by an inaccurately set element, such as needle, sinker or divider, the lower section of the carrier, which has fixed to its lower extremity the conventionally rigid 3 thread guide tube, is free to move relatively to As has already been pointed out, thisv may result not only in breakage of the needles the rigidly supported upper section of the yarn carrier so as to ride over the obstructing element without damaging the latter or deflecting it to such extent as to spoil the work being produced on the machine. 4

Other objects and advantages of the invention {will be apparent more fully hereinafter, it'being understood that the invention consists substantially in the -construction, combination, relative arrangement and location of parts, all as is described in the following detailed specification, as shown in the accompanying drawing, and as finally pointed out in the appended claims.

In the said accompanying drawing:

Figure '1 is a front elevational view ofthe yarn carrier constructed in accordance with and embodying the principles of the present invention, the carrier being shown in operative relation to certain cooperating parts of the conventional full- .fashioned knitting machine;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the carrier shown in Figure 1; I

Figure 3 is a rear elevational view of a part of the carrier embodying the invention;

Figure 4 is a view corresponding to Figure 3 but showing the parts of the carrier in relatively displaced condition;

y Figures 5, 6, and 7 are sectional views taken respectively" on the lines 5-5, 6-6 and of Figure 3; 0

Figure 8' is a front elevational view of a modified form of carrier;

Figures 9 and 10 are views of the carrier shown in Figure 8 respectively showing the parts thereof in normal and in relatively displaced relations;

Figures 11 and 12 are sectional views taken respectively onlines I |l t and l2-l2 of Figures 9 and 10.

Referring now to the drawing and particularly .to Figures 1 to '7 thereof, it will be observed that the yarn carrier of the present invention is composed essentially of an upper part III and a lower part I I which are pivotally secured together by a pivot pin l2, the opposite heads of this pin being respectively flush with the exposed surfacesof the pivotally connected members I0 and II. The upper member in of the thread carrier is rigidly secured'in the usual manner to the thread carrier bar l3 while the lower extremity thereof extends to a point closely adjacent the sinkers I4 and dividers I 5 of the machine so'that as the carrier bar I3 is traversed, the carriers supported thereby traverse the needles (not shown) operatively associated with the sinkers and dividers; The upper member III of the yarn carrier is provided with the conventional yarn guide tube id as well as with the conventional guide eye ill, while the lower member ii of the carrier is provided with a conventional yarn guide groove l8 and a con ventional tubular guide 69 fitted in the lower extremity of said member I i. The portion of the upper member extending below the pivot pin i2 is grooved, as at 26, in continuation of the groove l8 formed in the lower member 5 i of the carrier, it being understood that the yarn which is delivered to the needles of the machine is threaded through the tube iii, the eye it, and the tubular extremity iii of the carrier exactly as in the conventionally rigid or one-piece thread carrier.

In order to maintain the members it and it of the thread carrier in the rectilinearly aligned condition shown in Figures 1 and 3, which is the normal operating condition of theseparts, a flat spring member EU is employed, as shown in Figure 3. This member 2! is disposed upon the rear face of the carrier, one extremity thereof being securely fixed, as at 22, within a kerf formed in the upper extremity of the member ii. Secured to the rear face of the member W of the carrier is a slotted element 23 through the slot of which the upper extremity of the flat spring ii is longitudinally free to move. Inasmuch as the fiat spring element 2i tends always to assume a straight-line position, it acts constantly to maintain the parts It and ii in the rectilinearly aligned relation shown in Figures 1 and 3.

When, however, the tip of the tubular guide E9 of the carrier strikes against an obstruction such as might impede or interfere with the free movement of the carrier across the bank of the needles of the machine, the lower member ii of the carrier is swung about the pivot pin I? to one side or another of the normal longitudinal axis of the carrier, as, into the position shown in Figure 4. The relative shifting of the member H with respect to the fixed member Ill of the carrier is, of course, efiected against the straightening tendency of the spring element 2! and, accordingly, the latter causes the members iii and ii to reassume their normal rectilinear alinement immediately as the carrier moves out of contact with the impeding element of the machine. From this it will be apparent that the lower section of the carrier may be freely deflected with respect to the rigidly supported upper section thereof sufficientlyto prevent such binding engagement between the carrier and a part of the knitting machine as might result in damage to the carrier as well as to those parts of the machine with which the carrier is closely associated. The carrier of the present invention is thus enabled to be positionally adjusted with its tubular guide I! in closer relation to the needles and their associated sinkers and dividers than was possible with the conventional inflexible carrier, in consequence of which a more uniform appearance of the knitted fabric is obtained, particularly in those cases where'a plurality of carriers operating on different carrier bars are employed for knitting successive courses from yarns delivered to the machine from different sources of supply.

Figures 8 to 12, inclusive, illustrate a modified form of the invention wherein a coil spring 25 is employed in lieu of the flat spring 2! of Figure 3. In this modified arrangement, the upper and lower members Hi and H oi the carrier are pivotally connected together by the pivot pin 1 2, as in the former instance, one extremity of the coil spring being fixed, as at 2%, to the upper end of member H The opposite extremity of the coil spring 25 is likewise fixed, as at 21, to the knob 28 secured to the upper member ill of the carrier, the requisite resiliency being obtained by the flexing and biasing action of the spring convolutions extending between the longitudinally spaced points of its securement to the articulated members ill and H. In all other respects, the operation of the modified form of carrier is the same as that first described herein.

It will be understood, of course, that the invention is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the real spirit or general principles thereof and, accordingly, it is intended to claim the same broadly, as well as,

specifically, as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and useful is:-

i. In a yarn carrier of the character described, articulated upper and lower members, one of which has an ofiset section overlapping a section of the other member to provide a substantially flush front surface over which the yarn is fed, the adjoining flush surfaces of the members being respectively provided with yarn guide grooves in longitudinal continuation of one another, and spring biasing means disposed upon the rear surface of the carrier and interconnecting the said members thereof to maintain the same normally in straight-line relation while permitting deflection of the lower member relatively to the upper member should the carrier strike against an obstruction in the course of its travel.

2. In a yarn carrier of the character defined in claim 1 wherein said biasing means is in the form of a flat spring having one end anchored to one of said members and the'opposite end slidably connected to the other member.

3. In a yarn carrier of the character defined in claim 1 wherein said biasing means is in the form of a single coil spring the opposite ends of which are respectively anchored to said members and wherein said coil spring is disposed in a plane normal to said flush surfaces and common to said yarn guide grooves of the articulated members.

EMIL F. RICHTER.

JOSEPH EARNEST GARRETT. 

